Amitriptyline for Depression User Reviews (Page 3)

• Hri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 24, 2024

"Every time I return to amitriptyline because it is the most effective antidepressant I have ever seen (my experience). Please don't be afraid to take it. Give it at least 6 weeks, must, although it works really quicker than the time."

• See...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2018

Amitriptyline "I've been on probably every SSRI except Prozac, which all had short-lived outcomes. Finally, after 20 years, I've been put on an SNRI, and it's working. Started on 10 mg Endep for appetite, which didn't work, and given Valium for the shakes and tears. Valium stopped working in less than 2 weeks, so I stopped taking it, and the psych increased the dosage of Endep to 25 mg, and I'm actually feeling good. After 6 months of awfulness, this might be my answer. Sleeping well, lots of energy, memory and concentration are better, and no more teeth grinding. No real side effects except for the first day I started on the 10 mg, I copped a bad headache, but that was it."

• gin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 4, 2018

"I took Elavil for a year and a half. It worked wonderfully well for me, I thought I was cured of my depression and weaned myself off. A few months later, I could feel it creeping back, so I'm in the process of getting back on it. I did gain some weight, went from 130 lb to 176 lb, but I don't care, I'm so desperate to feel good again. I'll be fat, but I'll be happy."

• bpm...
• August 17, 2017

"I have taken many SSRIs, none were all that great. Fluvoxamine helped my OCD some. So my prescribing psychologist put me on amitriptyline. It really works for me. Helps me sleep some, and I'm not having the chronic depression and low mood. Sometimes the oldies are the best."

• sac...
• October 31, 2015

"I am an ex-heroin user and have currently been on a methadone program for fifteen years. I'm on propranolol for anxiety and chlorpromazine 50 mg for psychotic episodes. I'm also on Seroquel 200 mg during the day and 250 mg at night. My psychiatrist put me on amitriptyline 50 mg for depression and really bad anxiety. I haven't felt so good in years, get a great night's sleep, and I take it during the day, it helps with anxiety attacks. I was constipated really badly for years, and now I can go every day. Excellent results for me."

• Jax...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 2, 2021

"This medication got rid of my depression. I take 25 mg an hour before bedtime. It took 2 months, but I can honestly say I am back to my normal self. This truly works. Hang in there and wait. Depression is cruel and happens to everybody at some stage in life. Do not give up hope."

• Orc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2015

"Diagnosed with depression/anxiety 10 years ago. I have practically been on every SSRI, SNRI, Seroquel, and all kinds of benzodiazepines (do NOT recommend - highly addictive!). I felt so frustrated that none of the antidepressants were working for me and avoided tricyclics for fear of weight gain. Last week, I finally realized that I need serious help as I was planning suicide. I'm back on 100 mg Endep and 25 mg Seroquel if needed at night. I sleep fantastically and wake up feeling so refreshed. Sleeping makes a HUGE difference, and the funny thing is now that I'm feeling good, I'm out of bed and exercising. I know it's scary to think about weight gain, but it really is different for everyone and it's worth a shot! Endep's been the only one for me. Good luck!"

• BUT...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 22, 2014

"I take this for bipolar disorder 2, with severe depressive episodes. Helps tremendously for my depression symptoms, as well as aiding in controlling mood swings along with a mood stabilizer. Helps with insomnia tremendously. Sometimes the daytime sedation can last a long time at higher doses, and you'll probably get dry mouth, constipation, or blurry vision/dizziness, at least at first. This medication works great for a lot of people when other things fail, just be aware that the trade-off is that some annoying side effects are fairly common. Myself, the benefits far outweigh the negatives."

• 5ca...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 20, 2016

"I've been on 300 mg of Effexor for depression and anxiety for years. Last year, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. My rheumatologist gave me amitriptyline because I couldn't sleep. Wow!! What a difference. I can sleep. I'm upbeat. I feel great. I am one of the few who has hallucinations - only at night, only when I wake up not long after I've fallen asleep. Usually, I see bugs - bees, spiders, etc. They are always black because it's dark in the room. Once, I saw white feathers coming from the air conditioner. They usually stop as soon as I become coherent. It was scary at first, but now I'm more conscious of it, so I usually just fall back to sleep. It's worth it to have my fibro and depression under control."

• niv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2024

"Generally pretty good! I have 3 antidepressant meds, and this is the third I've been put on. It's rather recent. Fluoxetine made no noticeable effect, risperidone more keeps me less irritable, but this genuinely helps stop my suicidal ideation. Of course, I get very tired. Common side effect. But when I take it, I generally don't feel depressed. I also have manic-like states (possible bipolar instead of depression, bipolar runs in the family too), and if it gets overwhelming, I'll take this and it'll help calm me down. I generally feel pretty blank and out of it, but it's better than crying and cutting myself."

• aff...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2015

Amitriptyline "I was on 75 mg of Endep and noticed two extreme side effects, which led to me having to stop taking the medication. The first was rapid and excessive weight gain; I gained 6 kgs (13 pounds) within 8 weeks (at 160 cm, this is quite a bit of weight). I had no change in my diet; my exercise stayed the same, so the Endep was the only thing that could have caused the weight gain. The second was extreme night terrors. These occurred every night and were extremely frightening for myself and family, as I would wake up screaming and kicking every night. This occurred almost immediately after starting the Endep. Since stopping the Endep 2 weeks ago, the night terrors have ceased completely, and I have lost 1 kg with no change in diet."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 9, 2022

"Please don't be afraid to take amitriptyline. It has taken control of my major depression disorder and helps me sleep, as it relaxes the uncomfortable, painful symptoms of my daily major depression disorder. Amitriptyline is for anyone that suffers from daily serious major depression disorder and anxiety disorder, and everyone please don't be afraid of amitriptyline daily. I've taken it for at least the last 10 years, and I get full relief from my daily serious major depression disorder from amitriptyline 150 mg once daily. I feel blessed, and I'm happier with my life day to day than ever. Thank you, amitriptyline, for making me have a happy life every day."

• Anonymous
• May 26, 2010

"I used this medication in '94/'95 and in '97/'98 to treat major depressive episodes. It was the first antidepressant I ever tried, and it worked wonders the first time I used it. I could sleep and eat again, depression was gone within 2-3 weeks, no side effects. I was given amitriptyline again in '97/'98 after months of trying several newer antidepressants which doctors were convinced would be better, even though I told them amitriptyline had worked for me previously. It worked very well then too, but I developed side effects (irregular heart rhythm.) I chose to take beta blockers along with amitriptyline so I could complete the course of treatment."

• edw...
• March 9, 2023

Amitriptyline "I have been diagnosed with depression since college. Since then, I have tried every antidepressant and had no luck. My doctor put me on Elavil, and boom, depression is gone, though I have IBS-C big time. Tried to taper down from 100 mg, and got down to 60 mg, but am still constipated. It's a nightmare. I am now taking Linzess, Motegrity, Miralax, and coconut oil, which helps a little bit. Has anybody else had the same problems?"

• Ped...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 18, 2020

"I was originally prescribed amitriptyline to help with my depression and back pain, but I think it also helped my sleep. A few doctors seem keen to take me off it. I don’t know why, because I’ve been on it for over 10 years, and I sleep well while I’m on it. My pain is kept in check, as is my depression. As soon as they try to take too much of it away, I’m awake again all hours, like at 4:13 am, like at the moment. I start getting headaches and feeling unwell again, so I told my doctor the other day that I’m not reducing further than 1 tablet!"

• bia...
• June 10, 2008

Amitriptyline "I was on Elavil for many years to help ward off migraines and it did great. Then my neurosurgeon prescribed Ultram and I had a tachycardia incident. I am very sad that I cannot be on Elavil. I used to take 10mg at bedtime and it was helpful."

• Sco...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2021

"Been on multiple antidepressants over the years, but none have helped me like this old drug. It does have a lot of side effects, but I'm willing to put up with them because it completely wipes out my anxiety and depression."

• poe...
• May 23, 2016

Amitriptyline "I have only been on this drug for two weeks, and as yet, I have not noticed any difference with my depression. My anxiety levels are up, I have swooshing, buzzing noises in my ears. I even feel dizzy while seated and even just turning my head from side to side. I have noticed tingling in my fingers. My balance is affected, feeling like a drunk person. My head throbs."

• Ind...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2015

Amitriptyline "Elavil works in my case as a pain killer/antidepressant. It does have some cons that I was not warned about. I was told by my doctor to take 150mg before bed, so I did as told and woke up only when my wife shook me. For a second, I would eat and go right back to sleep. This happened for the first 24 hours, the next day, I had no choice but to stay awake. Being awake, I had problems with balance and depth perception. My mind was racing with what felt like hundreds of thoughts. My ability to speak was reduced to short sentences. It felt like my jaw was not moving fast enough to make more than a few sentences. After taking that dosage down from 150mg to 37.5mg, I am able to speak clearly, but my mind is still a little foggy. The back pain is not as bad."

• Ant...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 18, 2018

"I was prescribed Elavil after 3 years of terror with SSRIs and SNRIs. I have to say that it helped me tremendously with sleeping, energy, and headaches. I suffer from anxiety/depression. It helped with anxiety a lot. I threw away the clonazepam after 2 weeks. However, for my bad luck, it didn’t give me the remission — my old self. I was disconnected for three years and a half. I was like circled, not living the daily routine. If I would feel my old self, I wouldn’t mind the dry mouth and weight gain. Anyway, I tapered it off, and after 4 months, I crashed. I tried Fetzima and Cymbalta without results. Now my doctor wants to put me back on Elavil, and I’m crying all day because I know it will help me with most of the symptoms except for not feeling my old self — just flat all day. I can’t imagine my life feeling disconnected from my children. What should I do?"

• STA...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 11, 2022

"Why don't they start 'cocktails' with Elavil? Over the last 10-15 years (of misdiagnosed 'anxiety' when really I had Graves' disease), only Ativan or Xanax helped. Yes, I still take Xanax, but no SSRI had helped at all (severe reactions to those, probably due to my hyperthyroidism, but one SSRI pill would land me in the ER); I went through the laundry list of stupid 'tricyclics' (Remeron, which was okay for 25 days, then my usual easy-going self got enraged for no reason, so my doc pulled me off that: I'm not an 'angry person'; trazodone). After I got my thyroid diagnosed, I still had panic attacks and needed Xanax, but the doc said he had to put me on something else. I expected a failure, but said I'd 'heard of' Elavil and could I try it. It's been a few years now, I take 25 mg/night, knocks me out but not 'hard' (I get good sleep), and I feel like 'me' again. START with this one! It's GREAT!"

• Mig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2017

Amitriptyline "I was prescribed Elavil for depression and migraine prevention. After taking only two 10 mg doses of Elavil, I had a severe manic episode. (Note: I am not bipolar.) I was shaking, pacing, unable to sleep, talking a mile a minute but making no sense, full of anxiety and rage, unable to eat or keep anything down and in a total panic. My husband took me to the ER when my heart rate went through the roof and I became short of breath. The hospital kept me overnight on a heart monitor and gave me sedatives to calm me down. My doctor wants me to try another medication, but I am terrified at the prospect. Honestly, I'd rather be depressed and have migraines than try another antidepressant. One bad experience was ENOUGH."

• Tha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 12, 2020

"I take 25 mg Elavil to augment my Luvox and aid in sleep. I have very severe depression and sleep issues, and this dosage works really well for me. It’s not strong enough to put me to sleep, but it helps me wind down. As an added bonus, it helps keep away my migraines and nerve pain. I’ve been on this medication for 2 years. My main side effects are weight gain (went from 115-135 lbs in a year), nighttime eating, and an occasional dry mouth. Be warned. This medication makes you very hungry!"

• mag...
• February 28, 2018

"I was prescribed this drug for migraine prevention, and when I took the first dose of 10 mg, I could not wake up the next day and then stopped. But I did notice for about 5 days after that my mood was better. I was having all these undiagnosed health problems, and doctors thought I was having silent migraines, but now, I do believe I was battling depression. I did have a few bouts of depression over a 20-year period and was taking Zoloft, and that helped, but this time I did not feel like the last time when I was depressed, as I did not have the 'classic' depression symptoms. I am also going through menopause, and I believe this is what is causing my depression. I cut the pills in half and started with 5 mg until I got used to the effect, and then upped them to 10 mg after a week, and I feel great. After 6 months, I feel like myself again. It has only been 2 weeks, but I am hoping that this is the answer."

• ami...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2024

"I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression since I was 16 years old. My first antidepressant was Paxil, which was great. It made me calmer and relieved my depression symptoms. After about 10 years, Paxil 40 mg/day started to lose its effect and anxiety symptoms slowly came back. I increased the dose to 60 mg/day and it somewhat worked, but it came with side effects like weight gain and feeling tired all the time. So, I tried sertraline, fluoxetine, and desvenlafaxine, but none of them worked well for me even at the maximum dose. Then, my doctor prescribed me escitalopram, which worked great, but I still felt the need to use alprazolam 0.5 mg per day to control my anxiety. In order to stop taking alprazolam, my doctor prescribed me escitalopram 20 mg per day + amitriptyline 75 mg per day, and these medications worked very well for me. My anxiety is now under control and I'm feeling good. Amitriptyline is still a good medication till this day."